War, the pandemic, the climate crisis, and economic and
financial crises are undermining local self-government
across Europe.
The Presidents of the European Committee of the
Regions and of the Congress of Local and Regional
Authorities of the Council of Europe have warned
that local and regional governments are struggling
to cope with the series of crises that have rocked
the continent since 2020.
The statements came at a meeting in Brussels of the
political leadership of the
European Committee of the Regions, the voice of sub-national governments in the
27-member European Union, and of the
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of
the Council of Europe, which has 46 member states and the mandate to
strengthen local and regional democracy and to assess
the application of the European Charter of Local
Self-Government.
Vasco Alves Cordeiro,
President of the European Committee of the Regions,
said: "Advancing cooperation and unity between our two
institutions is even more important in the context of
growing threats to European democracy, human rights, or
the rule of law. Russia's war against Ukraine but also
long existing dangers like disinformation, populism and
hate speech call on all local and regional authorities
to come forward and defend democracy and solidarity."
"Our cities and regions are under increasing pressure
from multiple crises which are having a significant and
lasting impact on local and regional governance.
Cooperation is essential to increase the resilience of
our communities," added
Leendert Verbeek, President of the Congress, referring to the
challenges faced by local and regional authorities
including health, environmental, migratory, economic
and financial crises and armed conflicts – the war in
Ukraine in particular.
The Congress President stressed the importance of
addressing these challenges against the background of
re-centralisation, lack of financial means, and
increasing attacks on local and regional elected
representatives. He warned that “this ‘perfect storm’
undermines the foundations of genuine local
self-government and makes the work of the Congress even
more essential, through its regular monitoring of the
European Charter of Local Self-Government and the
promotion of human rights at the grassroots level".
Both Presidents warned of the dangers of hate speech
and disinformation and considered critical aspects of
local democracy in Europe, including the efforts to
promote deliberative democracy, with the Committee of
the Regions' President presenting the findings of its
2022 Annual Report on the State of Regions and
Cities
presented in his address last October and the
Charter on Youth and Democracy
to be launched this Thursday.
President Cordeiro emphasised the potential benefits
that could emerge from the Conference on the Future of
Europe, that ended in May 2022 and whose conclusions
are helping to shape the agenda and functioning of the
EU.
President Verbeek outlined findings from their
monitoring of the state of local and regional
democracy, and stressed the need for joint efforts in responding
to the crises and in defending the role and position of
local and regional authorities vis-a-vis national
governments and European institutions. Harald Sonderegger, President of the
Congress Chamber of Regions, and Bernd Vöhringer, President of the
Chamber of Local Authorities presented the work on
human rights
at local and regional level
, and in particular the
“green reading” of the European Charter of
Local Self-Government,
localisation of SDGs
and
deliberative democracy.
The two institutions discussed the efforts to support
cities and regions in Ukraine through the
Alliance of Cities and Regions for the
Reconstruction of Ukraine, building on, for example, the
Cities4Cities
initiative by the Congress, institutional partner of
the Alliance.
Contacts:
European Committee of the Regions
: Monica Tiberi, Spokesperson of the President,
monica.tiberi@cor.europa.eu
,
tel. +32 479 51 74 43
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the
Council of Europe
: Saïda Théophile,
saida.theophile@coe.int
, +33 3 90 21 48 95